three R's

plural noun

1. reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic, regarded as the fundamentals of education.

2. the fundamentals, basic knowledge, or skills of any system or field.

   the three R's of good government.

three Rs

plural noun

1. the three skills regarded as the fundamentals of education; reading, writing, and arithmetic

Word History and Origins

Origin of three Rs¹

First recorded in 1820–30

Word History and Origins

Origin of three Rs¹

from the humorous spelling reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic

Idioms and Phrases

The fundamentals of education, as in It's a terrible school; the children are not even taught the three R's. It is widely believed that Sir William Curtis, an alderman who became Lord Mayor of London, once presented a toast to the three R's—reading, riting, and rithmetic—thereby betraying his illiteracy. In any event, the term was picked up by others and so used from the early 1800s on.